"Eden" starts out in 1992. Rock and roll and disco are both dead. But in the seedy nightclubs and warehouses throughout Paris, a new music form begins to emerge. Electronic music is born. It is called "garage music" and "house music". The names are homage to the garages and warehouses where the original raves and parties that allowed this music form to thrive took place. Like many French youth in the 90's, Paul Vallée, the main character of "Eden", enjoys going to raves. He eventually drops out of college and partners with his friend Stan to form a musical duo called Cheers. At this same time, two of his other friends form another group called Daft Punk.As the movie progresses, Paul abandons his writing and college ambitions and pursues a DJ career that takes off. Paul's passion for the music shows as he describes it as a beautiful combination of robot and soul. It is a love for that smooth sound that is what brings the two main characters of the film together to pursue the elusive career of a disc jockey. Back in the time of vinyl records and Polaroid pictures, the term DJ was a fairly accurate representation of the profession. But another cultural phenomenon emerged in the club scene where the two protagonists thrived: rampant drug use. Although cocaine is still in use today, ecstasy has replaced it as the drug of choice in raves. Rave culture is intoxicating. It sucks in Paul and consumes him.The 2014 French film "Eden" is about the rise and fall of Paul and his experiences during his time in the electronic music scene. After facing various hardships, Paul becomes deeply addicted to cocaine. At one point in the film, the protagonist's mother, like a cliché, insists that the main character give up his dream of being a DJ and go back to university. She also callously reminds him of studies speaking of nerve cell deterioration, insomnia, depression, and a whole range of possibly unrelated symptoms to discourage the use of drugs. The character takes this to heart and comes up with the name of his DJ duo, "Cheers", while rolling on "e".After a thoroughly dramatic rise and fall, Pall eventually faces reality. The film concludes in the modern era in the year 2013. smartphones, tablets, and hands-free devices now rule the day. Paul has managed to rehabilitate his life but has to adjust to "normal life" which is far different from what he was used to as a DJ. He continues his abandoned dream of writing by attending a creative writing workshop at night. The film ends brilliantly with Paul encountering a young girl who he reflects his experiences as a DJ with. To Paul's dismay, she coldly replies that the only techno DJ she knows happens to be Daft Punk.One has to really admire the attention to the changing sounds of the 90's and the overall soundtrack. This movie is a must-watch not just for fans of daft punk or electronic music but any music lover looking for a "rags to riches" tale. The film was written by Mia Hansen-Løve and Sven Hansen-Løve. Mia is also the director. Both filmmakers came of age during this transformative era that set the stage for modern electronic dance music. Sven was actually a DJ during this era and wrote "Eden" based on his experiences.

what a great film! if you like house and more to the point..French filtered house, then you will love this. its more music orientated than anything else and has some credible DJs doing cameos - Tony Humphries, Arnold Jarvis & a PA by India. it captures the whole vibe of mid 90s clubbing very well - mixed with relationships, drugs and non-stop parties. i like the main actor as a DJ as he is understated and plays it down, keeping the success of his work and the scene on a low key as a lot of DJs are very unassuming. the Daft Punk characters are present and their tunes are well received by clubbers from everywhere. perhaps its time to make a British version of the amazing 90s house scene which captured everyone's imagination to the max. some of the tunes in the film are these classics : Follow Me - Aly Us, The Whistle Song - Frankie Knuckles, Caught In The Middle - Juliet Roberts, Promised Land - Joe Smooth, Sweet Harmony - Liquid, Da Funk - Daft Punk, Finally - Kings of tomorrow, To Be In love - Masters At Work feat India......ENJOY

The main criticism I've seen towards this film is that it has a detached approach, but I thought it worked wonders here, surprisingly. Thing is, you can handle a story about night life in two ways: by focusing on the frenzy and excitement, that ephemeral state of euphoria non-stop party and excess will do to you, and that's probably what most films of this kind do, and thus have little lasting power beyond the final credits. Or you can go for that other feeling often associated with such activity, which is one of emotional vacuum, of estrangement and low mood, which is more profound and permanent. This is what Løve is going for and succeeds in portraying: the life of someone who wants to be a DJ at all costs, and stick to it throughout the years, while knowing he won't be able to afford living like that. So he often feels unsatisfied and lacking in some kind of deeper personal realization. On the other hand, those around him do move forward, in one way or another, and so his relationships with all of them reach some kind of closure, making it even more depressing to him that in over a decade he pretty much hasn't gotten anywhere, hasn't really grown up nor learned anything from when he was a teen. An adequately long runtime, encompassing various states of the main character's life and various locations to where his work takes him, also contribute in making his frustrating journey so believable. Technically the film is a marvel, moving so naturally, so organically, from one sequence to the next, from one set piece to another, with a flow that is obviously aided by a powerful and almost constant soundtrack. If you like house music, it's pretty much guaranteed you'll love this film. But it has a lot of other qualities that really make it worth watching. I hope those of you who haven't seen it do soon.

I like French films, and I love music at the very least I was hoping for some uplifting dance music which occasionally did happen but not enough to lift a dull film. I didn't feel any empathy with the characters and when things didn't go their way I didn't care. There seemed to be no life in the film. I enjoyed the part when they were in NY. Half way through when a title appeared saying Part 2 my heart sank I was hoping it was the end. The characters matured somewhat during the film yet I was still unconvinced. They reflected an era in dance music - DJ's paying what they loved and and creatively experimenting with new mixes. I never felt emotion of dance music, you could see the crowds in the clubs dancing but I could not connect with it, even though I wanted to - to feel the beat. I also though the acting was wooden. I went there wanting to come home and buy the soundtrack because that was what it was really about. I will not be buying the soundtrack